Impact of life kinetik training on balance, agility, jumping, proprioception, and cognitive function in preadolescent recreational fencing athletes: a randomized controlled trial

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BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of Life Kinetik (LK) exercises on balance, agility, jumping performance, proprioception, and cognitive functions in recreationally active preadolescents participating in fencing. METHODS: The study lasted 8 weeks and included 22 preadolescents recreationally engaged in fencing, aged 11.6 ± 1.2 years, with an average weight of 49.5 ± 10.5 kg and an average height of 157.5 ± 10.0 cm. Preadolescents were randomly assigned to either the LK group or the control group. The experimental group participated in LK exercises twice per week, with each session lasting one hour. RESULTS: The results indicate that the changes in Stroop, agility, vertical jump, and proprioception test performance between the pre-test and post-test for the control group are not statistically significant. However, the LK group showed statistically significant improvements in Stroop, agility, and vertical jump performance between the pre-test and post-test (p < 0.001). Conversely, the change in proprioception test performance between the pre-test and post-test for the LK training group was not statistically significant. The changes in star balance test performance between the pre-test and post-test for the control group was not statistically significant. In contrast, the LK group showed a statistically significant improvement in star balance test performance between the pre-test and post-test (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicate that while LK exercises are effective in boosting overall athletic performance, they may not be sufficient for developing specific skills such as proprioception. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The randomized controlled trial was registered on 04/01/2025 at ClinicalTrials.gov, under the registration number NCT06781268.